I've been to Empire about 6-10 times at this point...a few times for after-work drinks and a few times for corporate events and can safely say I've tried everything on the menu here. While the food is creative, it's simply not that good, especially considering the price. This place just tries to do too much with too many ingredients. To be fair, the non-sushi dishes are ok...but that's it...just ok. The only reason I've come to this place more than once is because of corporate accounts and work-related events. Last night after the Allman Brothers, around 11:30pm me and a few co-workers tried to go here for dinner. 4-people, 3 dressed in work clothes and one with shorts, button down and flip-flops. They didn't let us in! Place was completely empty...I mean it's 11:30pm on a Wed and these guys couldn't make one exception for a guy with flip-flops. The rest of us were his clients...it's this guys job to entertain people and guess where he is never going again...you got it. This place needs to realize where it's located, what it's good for and who the clients are. I can get into Del Frisco's, Mistral, Market, etc...with flip-flops yet for some reason this place is a no-go? RIGHT. Basically...this place is a SHORT. No one comes here during the summer because Seaport area has way better places. No one will come here during the winter because it's in the middle of nowhere and Back Bay will be hopping again. Red Lantern I like, this place is not going to survive. Cheers! read more

Blech. Empire is the weirdest restaurant. It's one of those places that still does the "waitresses all wearing the same costume" schtick...and in this case, all the waitresses are wearing black corsets. Gross. When we showed up around 8pm on Thursday, the whole restaurant was pretty empty. My friends and I were pointed to one of the little loungey areas, and then were approached by a waitress asking if we had permission to sit there. (What? Also, the WHOLE place is empty, I think it's ok for us to sit here.) My friends ordered wine, but I had an Old Fashioned, WHICH THEY SERVED IN A MARTINI GLASS. WHAT? Also, the waitress was pretty inattentive and we all had to wait awhile for her to ask us if we wanted a second round. Additional cons: Empire is in a kind of dead area of the Waterfront (well, dead in the winter...maybe in the summer it would be busier if people were walking around outside). They do valet parking for $16, which is decent if you have a few people to split the cost. None of us ordered food, so unfortunately I can't share any opinions on that. Overall, I suppose this is a nice place if you're with a large group of people near the waterfront and want a place that can seat everyone comfortably....? read more

AMAZING...I came here after work with colleagues and had such a great experience with the staff. Caroline was an absolutely fantastic server, she was very attentive, gave great recommendations, and made us feel so comfortable. I have to give a special shout out to to Nathan who never let our table get cluttered, our drinks go dry and provided great conversation! read more

NOTE This review is for the bar area ONLY-I did not dine here. This is actually a pretty nice place for a lounge. I was here on a Sat and I think we got there around 11 and there was a line. It moved quickly though and we were inside in a reasonable amount of time. Inside, the decor is pretty nice, but just a little too dark for me. I hung out mostly in the bar/lounge area and it definitely got progressively more crowded as the night went on. The music seemed to get louder too. They also had bottle service for the tables near the bar, but that's just so weird to me... Since the whole other side of the place was a restaurant and had a sushi bar. There were people having a LATE dinner while others were getting drunk and dancing... HHHhmmmmm. I most likely would not eat here for that reason, and the lounge area was also a bit too mellow for me. I like to either be at a club where I can dance or somewhere more chill with the music quieter so I can hear the person I'm talking to. This is a weird combo of a lounge that's trying to be a club without an actual dance floor and it's too loud to have a convo with anyone! I guess I could have walked to the other part of the place and sat in a corner or table... or one of their nice private dining rooms, but since I wasn't there to eat I didn't do that. Some people I know like this place, but it's just not for me. read more

I'm always torn on how I feel about this place. I've been to the bar here several times and have now eaten at Empire twice, both times at the bar. My first impulse when I look at the menu is, damn everything is expensive here, and there's no getting around that fact. Everything here is just a little bit more expensive than it should be (except for the Veuve which is reasonable @ $90). The cocktails are $13-15 and I've seen the wine they carry in several other restaurants for $2 less per glass. So why is this? How can these prices be justified/sustained? From the drinks/bar perspective I think an argument can be made that part of they premium you are paying for is Ambiance. The interior decor of Empire is big and bold.. It's huge, so it leaves plenty of room not to be cramped and the music is always pumping and uptempo. The cocktails are good and the bartenders deliver a good product (and they aren't hard on the eyes either). I haven't sampled any of the higher priced entrees yet, but I have had some of their sushi rolls and several appetizers. All of the food I've eaten at Empire has always been tasty and well prepared. I do not think most of the apps and sushi rolls are reasonably priced. At first glance the Asian Street Noodles and Pad Thai appear to be offensively high price ($22-23) until you get them. You could easily split the single serving portion with two people, and they are both delicious. So to cap it off, if I could give this place 3.5 stars I would, but because I'm a generous guy, I'm going to round them up to 4 stars because they haven't really pissed me off yet. If I have a substantially more positive or negative experience I will update my review accordingly! read more

This review is solely based on the bar/lounge scene and atmosphere. The setting and space is very nice. The ceilings are large with oversize doors with a modern Asian style. Everything is brand new and has a darker and dimly lit space. There is a large bar space which is always way too overcrowded and large area to sit on couches or a large table. The waitstaff is slow and seems frustrated with fighting through the crowds. They tend to be passive aggressive yelling at clientele rudely. The crowd there varies but is usually an older crowd ranging from late 30's to 50's. There are a lot of Boston wannabe socialite's and Jersey Shore trash. However, maybe 10 percent of the time you will get a normal younger late 20's to 30's crowd and have a good night. Overall, the setting and scene is cool. The crowd is questionable. The service and food is average. Check it out and see for yourself. read more

Honestly I don't understand why everyone is hating on Empire so much. Yes it's a little bit pretentious, and yes it's definitely overpriced, but it's also really good food and drinks and a decent atmosphere if you set your expectations straight. If I wanted really authentic pho or dumplings or noodles for less than $10 I'd go to Chinatown. What Empire (and red lantern) provides, at least for me, is a place to eat these foods that I enjoy but at a much better atmosphere, level of service, and beverage choices than any joint in Chinatown could provide. Now onto the food... Lobster & Crab Rangoon - the lobster ones are better, I just love rangoons in general Hawaiian Style Poke - SO good!!!! Just an amazing balance of flavors, $19 is kind of a lot for an app but it's a pretty good portion Traditional Pot Stickers - a little underwhelming for me, too much sweetness, nothing special, weakness dish of the night Bibimbap - really good!!! and it's HUGE! could serve 4 people easily. The beef was really tender and flavorful and it's a pretty traditional preparation of the dish. Only complain is that rice was a little mushy Dessert: banana bread pudding with chocolate sauce & coffee ice cream - i mean...how could this be NOT good, come on! And a lot of people here seem to complain about the service. We were there on a Wed night at 7:30 and the service was great, waitress was very nice and attentive. I'd totally go back, sit in the lounge, have a few drinks and a few apps. read more

The interior is great here. It was nice inside, had some unique decor with the mirror walls and lighting above as well as a nice big bar area with great comfy chairs, perfect for meeting a group for some drinks or an after meal drink. Food though, eh was kind of blah when it came to main courses. Drinks were good though - especially that Big Kahuna! We had a party of 5 so had a few different food options we got. The food was a bit pricey but some items that were just simple meals, nothing note worthy. We had a few people get the Korean Rubbed Sirloin. For the price you'd expect a pretty spot on delicious meat. But everyone agreed, it was SUPER bland! And some areas were so undercooked it was pretty much medium rare. For $43 you'd expect a juicy and flavorful meat but that dish left everyone unimpressed. We also had the chicken wings (which were fabulous) and the Sa-Cha chicken stir fry. The stir fry as well was really bland! I was shocked because it had potential to have great flavor but again, was just not that fantastic. We did get a few appetizers which were good, which was the chicken teriyaki (which they should make into a main dish) and that was great. Also the lobster and crab rangoons were great. We felt like the appetizers were the way to go compared to the main dishes. Might try it again for the unlimited sushi as we heard good things. But for the $350 bill, definitely expected better. read more

Don't bother. Beautiful decor...unbelievably rude service. It's amazing what an attitude you receive at the very start...from the hostess! Looking for the definition of "poser"? Empire fits the bill. Perfect place for tourists. read more

What a horrible experience this past Saturday. It was 14 of us for dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday. It all started with half the table getting their food and the other half getting it after the first half had finished. So we just sat there and just watched each other eat. Also for such a higher end restaurant they wouldn't split our check by per couple or 4 people. So it was easier for us to keep track. Some people had ordered apps, drinks and entrée. While others just had 1 entrée. So it wasn't fair and needed it split by couple. Today one of the people said they got charged $253 on their credit card instead of $20. Even though we signed a $20 receipt so looks like they went back and changed it to $253 somehow. What a shady place!!!!! NEVER EATING THERE EVER AGAIN! Terrible experience that night and it continues after! read more

I came to Empire Asian restaurant with 11 colleagues on a Thursday night (9/19/19). We were seated relatively quickly on the couches and coffee tables near the front door. The food was fine - about you'd expect for a medium scale Asian fusion restaurant (not authentic but that's fine). The strange thing was 'their policy' of not being able to split the check more than 2 ways. Not 3 ways - only 2 ways at most. We thought about walking out but there were enough hangry people that we decided to stay. Because we were all from different companies (this was a business dinner with 5 separate companies) this was somewhat difficult. We ended up have half of us paying separately at the bar - which was annoying. I probably would not come here again just for this reason. read more

When 4 workout buddies take a night off from the gym, you know it's for something good. Empire's $25 AYCE maki (and their awesome cocktails) totally fit the bill! Sure, the drinks are $14+ each, but they are crafty and include top shelf liquor. The sushi was quite good - and was brought out faster than you can say caterpillar roll! The atmosphere is bustling, even on a Monday at 5:30pm. A few tables were already seated when we walked in, and they were almost all full by the time we left. Private function space in the back near the swanky bathrooms. It feels weird to describe a bathroom as swanky, but really this whole place is swanky. And HUGE! Like a warehouse, but much nicer. It's cordoned off into semi-separate dining areas so it doesn't feel so massive, and there's a sushi bar to post up at if you want to watch your sushi as it's prepared. The service is really what stole the show. Our waitress patiently explained the menu and the AYCE deal, answering a plethora of our questions, and was never hard to find when it was time for another round - of drinks AND sushi! Even though we were there for a discounted menu deal, we received a complimentary dish! Spicy salmon over crispy seasoned sushi rice - I had never had this type of roll before, man was it good! Favorites from the AYCE menu include the Tempura Rock Shrimp Roll and the Idaho Sweet Potato Roll. I saw at least 3 plates of each devoured... A few hours and many, many rounds later, it was time to roll out - literally. Violet Beauregarde style. Happy and full, all around! I will definitely be back to take [more] advantage of this superb deal. read more

I ventured over here late on a Thursday night, probably not the best time to visit since me and my two friends were the only customers. It seemed like a could be a good time if there was a crowd and my friend wasn't forced to dance with the bouncer to keep herself occupied. Needless to say the cool drink menu, Mariah Carey playing DJ and totally hot female bartenders will probably draw me back in for a second try. I'll keep you posted. read more

Where do i begin. i was extremely disappointed with the overall experience. If i could give 0 stars i would. On a positive note the restaurant itself is beautiful, but everything else SUCKED!!!! I wish i had read the flood of terrible reviews before my trip, surely i would have never stepped foot inside. In hospitality you should know that its about the experience. The treatment my party and i endured from the staff at this restaurant was disgusting and degrading. I visited in July with a party of 6 people. More than half of our group paid for the unlimited sushi, drinks, multiple scorpion bowls, and pupu platters. Our server contacted management as he was under the impression we were trying to feed a table of 6 with 4 orders of unlimited sushi. This was incredibly presumptuous and discriminatory. Not only was this an incorrect assumption but the way the management team supported his cruel treatment was appalling. He decided he no longer wanted to wait on us . assuming he wouldn't be tipped well. His attitude and refusal to do his job was condoned by the management staff. On this night several people were eating sushii and of coarse sharing. I'm still not sure why our table was harassed by managers and servers . Members of their staff proceeded to stand over the table policing our dishes and ruined our get together. Several other servers proceed to watch. The food is significantly over priced and poor quality. I could buy a better pupu platter for $10.00 from a to go place. We ordered multiple scorpion bowls and for some reason they only brought out two straws per bowl?!?! As an direct result, we decided we did not want to spend another moment at their business. Its unfair that the 4 people that ordered the unlimited sushi did not even eat more than one serving. We ultimately paid for more sushi then we enjoyed. The bill was about $250.00 total. Empire ruined my friends birthday. I will never patronize this business again. Many of the reviews below describe the awful service, food and pricing. The location is barely visible on northern ave and is EMPTY come winter time. In seaport is especially important to provide good service to people eat there in the winter months. Now i know why people prefer Temezcal, LTK, And Legals harbor-side even in the winter months they have more patrons. ONE TIP, if you don't want people to share the $25 unlimited sushi than do not allow parties of more than three people to order the special. Rather then stand over a guests table unprofessionally barking at them not to share!!!! read more

I've only been here for the bar and lounge though based on the reviews before me, I might just skip the restaurant experience. Empire is a great hangout. Wide open spaces and over the top decor. Bartenders were just ok. I guess they moved as quickly as the corsets allowed. Considering Boston's lack of nice hangout spots, empire is quickly luring the crowds. You get great mixes of people here. read more

I made a reservation WAY in advance when planning a group visit to Boston. Empire happily accommodated our group of 14 on a Friday night and even asked if I wanted the group to be in the lounge or dining area AND knowing it was a celebratory event sent me a menu of cakes we could order especially for my group. FOOD - absolutely amazing, corn rangoon was fabulous, and drinks were so creative. MUSIC - after leaving to go to a club that night, we realized we should have stayed at Empire all night because the music was just SO on point for the group, heck, the DJ was so good that I even started dancing during dinner. The bills were hard to split as a large group, but that is anywhere. So our waiter told me upfront, and we were able to figure out bills within minutes. If I could give 10 stars, I would. I wish there were a place like this in my hometown. read more

The food and atmosphere here was really great. I came with a group of people and we had drinks and dinner. All the mixed drinks were really great, strong and well presented. We all split the Big Kahuna which I didn't love but it was fun to get with it being served in a huge watermelon. My sushi was fantastic, so fresh. I got spicy salmon bites, tuna "Hot night" and beef nigiri. Everyone else at the table loved their food as well. I would recommend this place and I'll be going back to check out the night club scene! read more

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I came here on Friday night with a friend for some sushi and cocktails. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. It's rare I venture out of Back Bay or Beacon Hill to dine so I went in apprehensively. The crowds of girls all wearing black leggings and flannel shirts outside, literally clones of one another, put a slight dent in my appetite but I pushed through. I had a couple of the Thai Bengal, it was tasty however there was no bite in this drink. I prefer my cocktails to have a bite of vodka or gin. My friend got the Eastern Promise, she didn't care for it. I swiped a sip and agree. Again, it was tasty but tasted like flavored water. The sushi was very tasty. We just wanted a little snack. We had the spicy tuna, spicy salmon and the spicy salmon rice bites. They were all fresh and tasty. The rice bites were interesting, very flavorful and surprisingly filling. The atmosphere was a little more than we could handle. I had never been in before, I thought it was just a more lively restaurant --- I wasn't expecting to have to have a smiley face stamp on my left wrist....awkward. Just ask for my license when I order a drink? The decor was fine. They had a large bar and then a collection of sofas and arm chars. The crowd was a little sleazy but didn't encounter any issues. The bartender was very sweet. Her and the other bartenders were very attentive and helped us locate two seats next to each other. I'm not sure what the other reviewers were noticing because the bartenders are the only reason I'm bumping my review up to 4 stars, great service even on a Friday night. Overall, a nice experience but based on the crowd and location I probably won't be back which is to no fault of the restaurant. So, if this is your kind of vibe then I would recommend it to you. read more

It's been 50 minutes since my group of 14 has arrived at Empire, and we still haven't been able to order any food at all thanks to the absolutely unprofessionalism, discrimination, audacity, disorganization, and inflexibility of the staff here. Thanks for nothing to our waiter Ariana and the myriad of other staff members who have continually disappointed and frustrated us when we are just trying to celebrate a birthday. We tried to start off our meal by ordering a couple of the party drinks. One of our members was under 21, but she assured that she wouldn't drink and would even sit at the edge of the table to maintain transparency. The staff not only made a huge deal about this, but then proceeded to check all of the party's IDs not once, but twice, even asking for a backup ID, taking our IDs to be scanned, and then scrutinizing all of our IDs once again. We have all been to different restaurants, bars and clubs around Boston and NEVER once been so intrusively and invasively been cross-checked like this before. It was such a long and targeted process, conducted with absolutely no class or respect. It was also conducted in such a completely disorganized and confusing manner. Could this have something to do with the fact that our entire party was made up of young Asian adults? Speculation aside, this was an absolutely inappropriate way to treat any customer, especially such a huge party that would order large amounts of food and drinks to celebrate a birthday. Thanks for completely ruining all expectations for a great birthday dinner experience, Empire. All 14 of us will make sure to never patron this restaurant ever again, and we'll make sure to spread the word to all of our respective networks as well. read more

This place has excellent sushi. The special rolls have unique flavors that combine well. It's a great experience for the taste buds. Inside, the decor is trendy/club like...it's a huge place. Too large for Boston IMO...but the place was full when I was there. Overall, the place reminds me of Sushi Samba a little, but I prefer Empire I think. Empire also has my new favorite appetizer of all time, the lobster cupcake! I'm going back again just for this. The only way this place would get lower than 4 stars is if the reviewer couldn't stomach the menu prices. Personally, I think they are in line. read more

Think of this as an upscale PF Chang's. The bar is the primary selling point - lots of drink options. The drinks are creative and come with solid presentation. I tried the Peach Mai Tai - it was sugary but that's expected. The layout is different than the lounges that you'd find in Back Bay - well worth the trip to the Waterfront. As other reviewers have point out, the food is the contemporary take on "fusion." Don't come here expecting an authentic Asian dining experience, and you'll be fine. There isn't much to write about the food aside from, "It is what it is. It isn't what it isn't." You're not going to be wowed. You're not going to be overly disappointed. This is a great option for after-dinner drinks if you have out-of-town clients. It's also great for a stop if you're planning a bachelorette party. I noticed that the staff definitely treats well-dressed clientele with more respect and attention. But you can't really fault them for that - Empire is a business. read more

Not sure why this place gets terrible reviews. The food, specifically the sushi is at least 3.5 stars and you have to round up to four stars given this is one of the few places in the city that has some type of crowd every single day of the week. Worth checking out. read more

Ehhhhh. That's how I feel about this place. The food was pretty all right, but for the prices I wasn't impressed. I don't understand how Singapore street noodles could be $24! And still not taste better than my favorite place on foodler. And don't even get me started on the $15 "lobster" scallion pancakes (lobster is in quotes because I didn't see any). The service was pretty inconsistent. When we got there for our reservation, I let the hostess know the name of our party and what time our reservation was for. She brought me about mid-way into one of the ginormous dining rooms and .. just left me there in front of a large party that a) had obviously been seated for some time and b) wasn't my group of friends. So that was awkward. Once we were seated, our server also went missing for a bit when we had wanted dessert menus. However, I will give him huge credit for letting us know about the parking ban going on due to the snow storm so that people that didn't valet or park in the garage could move their cars - that was very nicely done. In summation: I won't be back, but I guess I'm glad I tried it? read more

Empire is Red Lantern's new sister and, unfortunately, the food and service pales in comparison. To start off, the decor cannot be faulted. They must have spent a fortune making the place into the modern oriental palace it is today. I was obsessed from the moment I stepped through their doors. The bar looks awesome and is filled with attractive young professionals. My friends were DYING to go mingle. We ended up ordering a lot of appetizers and one entree to share which were as follows: The Rangoons (Lobster & Crab): Cooked perfectly....but for spending as much as we did we were sort of expecting something different or unique. The wasabi sauce was WAY to powerful and completely overtook the rangoons. Learned that one the hard way. Tuna Tartar: Decent, definitely not the worst I've had. A lot of cucumber, not so much tuna. It really doesn't compare to how flavorful and absolutely delicious the Red Lantern one is. I was sort of expecting something on par with that one but it totally missed the mark. Lobster Cupcakes: I believe this was a special that day. The flavors were there but they were so hard that getting into them was a challenge. Singapore Street Noodles: Really good. Exactly the same as the Red Lantern dish and as it should be. I loved it at both places! As far as the service goes....it was really slow. The food came out slowly, the drinks came out slowly, the check took like 15 minutes from us asking for it to it getting dropped at the table. I want to attribute it to the restaurant being new and them still getting a handle on everything but it was definitely an issue. I'll probably try it again in a little while to see if it gets better. For now I'll probably stick to Red Lantern since it's closer and the food/service seems to be better. read more

Food: Great place to take someone for a date as it has a trendy New York or Las Vegas feel to it. However, I don't believe the food is that great, not to mention it is so OVERPRICED! $29 for Pho? Get real! $23 for Pad Thai? Yeah, no. I've been here 4 times and each time I was disappointed in the food. Their sister restaurant is Red Lantern, and their food is absolutely amazing (it also had a very trendy atmosphere). The only time I would consider coming here is a Friday or Sat as I can grab dinner and walk over to the lounge area after. Lounge: Perfect for a Friday or Saturday night when you want to hang out with friends or have some sort of a celebration in the trendy setting. read more

I went to Enpire bar on Wednesday 17 2022 with some friends I have timberlands boots on 2 of the workers at the door didn't let me go inside because my timberlands boots I wasn't the only one with boots really sh****ty read more

A typical overrated seaport institution. Lo Mein was as dry as a day old, microwaved delivery food and cost $30 after tax...ambience is nice. But you could just go to Committee for nice drinks. read more

Empire just recently opened and we visited them on a Sunday afternoon. We were dressed casual as it was a late hot summer afternoon. The door person told us that there was a dress code and next time he would not let us in. C'mon, on the waterfront on a hot humid day. What do they expect! We had drinks and food at the bar. The food was very overpriced and just not that good!! They have the Asian theme going but the food could not back it up! Very disappointing. We had a couple specialty rolls, a few sashimi plates, noodles and a bottle of wine. We had to send an order of hamachi sashimi back because the fish was bad. The rice on the rolls were hard! The server was so apologetic, I get it. You are new, however for a Japanese restaurant to serve spoiled sashimi I do not understand the lack of quality control. And the server who probably is new did not even get a manager to help diffuse a situation with an unhappy customer! The decor is very nice, the dining room floor was huge and they have an open kitchen. It's a great location. I just wish some of these new restaurants in the Seaport District would pay more attention to the culinary side of the business. We just were not impressed. We have been to all of the new restaurants they have opened up down here in the past 2 years and not one is a destination place for their food!! read more

Took a top client here to celebrate the business. 5 minutes after being seated, the hostess came to the table and informed us we had to move because the table had been reserved for VIPs. I suggested we be given a free round of drinks for our inconvenience, which they gladly did. Turns out, the VIPs were not Patriots, Red Sox players or George Clooney and a gf but the owner and several cronies. Ironically, the table we were relegated to was right next to the other one. I had the tuna tartare and black cod which delicious. The waitress was enthusiastic but woefully uniformed with not much experience. read more

Dined here twice. Twice was disappointed. Sushi fish did not feel fresh, and some of the combinations, though creative, simply do not work well. Then comes the bill and you realize that you are overpaying for the less than mediocre food. I'm not averse to overpaying for sushi, or to creative sushi combinations, I handle those very often at Oiishi, because there it is worth it. I would recommend this place for drinks out with a group of friends, because ambiance is cool. That's about it. read more

Let me start this review by saying I'm not a huge fan of sushi. However, I keep trying it, in hopes of a pallet change for my sushi loving bf. My man and I went for International Sushi Day, sushi specials were offered for $1 per roll of 4. There were 5 different rolls to choose from; spicy tuna, spicy salmon, idaho, crab tempura and avacado cucumber. We got all 5 obviously... who would pass up the opportunity when they were $1. Now remember, I said I'm not a huge sushi fan. Usually I have 1-2 pieces, choking down the last one all of while dreaming of spitting it into my napkin.... I can say this visit to Empire was a sushi success. I tried every roll we ordered and actually enjoyed most of them. If I enjoyed the sushi I would recommend this place to any sushi lover. We also ordered the potsticker appetizer. They were delish. Some of the best I have ever had. They came out super quick too. Definetely order these. We got the small, which came with six to an order. Good portion for two people, but honestly I could have eaten all six by myself. They were THAT good. We also ordered a lo mein dish. The single size. It was HUGE... could probably feed three people with the amount of other items we ordered. I would say the lo mein was the most MEH of the night. It tasted slightly burnt. We were pretty full anyway and are not the types to complain, but FYI it was $21. YIKES (but we did know that when we ordered it). Ok so most of the other reviews talk about price and service. Prices are high... I know its fancy inside and nice decor, yada yada yada, but seriously $20 for lo mein or an appetizer is pretty steep, even for the city. We knew this ahead of time and expected it, so I really can't complain. Next, our server Felipe was FANTASTIC. We are big water drinkers and he made sure our glasses were always full. I'm a retired server/bartender so this to me is HUGE. As long as my food comes the way I ordered it and my glass never empties you're good in my book. He did just that, and checked in on us at appropriate times. We never felt ignored, even when the restaurant filled up QUICK. Well done Felipe. All in all, we went because the price was right on this particular day. $1 sushi rolls can not be beaten! I would go back to empire with friends for a cocktail and the POTSTICKERS (drool), and probably if there was another sushi special. I wouldn't do a big dinner there unless it was a special occaison, like I said it is as expensive as everyone says, but you should know this by now. Do your research and you won't be surprised when your lo mein costs as much as two D plates at the local chinese joint. read more

Great great time at the bar. Great sushi and drinks. I don't know the name of the chef but Rali (the bartender) did awesome job taking care of all mi friends and I. Thanks for having us. read more

Empire - The bar - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Went to Empire for my birthday dinner last night and was mistreated by one of our servers the whole night. He was not friendly and was very short with us when it came to ordering drinks and asking for more condiments for our table. We were a party of 18 people and I was celebrating my 23rd birthday. So I am not sure if it's because we are young adults or because we are minorities but when it came time to give him our payment which was all in cash (including his tip) he counted the full amount at the table right in front of us. I've eaten at many restaurants and I also use to waitress. I've never once had a waiter count the money for my meal in-front of me. He made us feel like we were trying to short him on the bill and like we couldn't afford to eat at the restaurant. Other than our experience with our waiter. The food at the restaurant and the amount of food that we got was very impressive. The drinks were a little pricy but very delicious. read more

Overpriced Chinese food anyone? I've heard a bunch about this place and I originally wanted to go here as a part of a scorpion bowl crawl I held last year but we didn't make it! I'm not sure what to say about this place? I think spending a ton of money on Chinese food is stupid! I'd rather have the cheap stuff and save my money! Of note their $48 scorpion bowl is soooo not worth the price! If you're looking for a good scorpion bowl head to the Hong Kong it's much better there! Or waitress was nice but if you have a table of 5 and one scorpion bowl you might want to invest in either longer straws or another way of sharing the drink with the entire table! One waiter said they had longer straws but instead came out with two straws put together which didn't work! read more

Used a Travelzoo coupon on a rare night out with my wife. We enjoyed the ambience and going to a different place than our regular JP hangouts. Our waitress was super-attentive (maybe in response to the bad reviews here regarding service). The food was fine; we ordered the lobster pancake (skip it) but the sushi met expectations. We were surprised at the pricing as well. Our coupon was $70 of food for $35. Our total bill was $59 including the tip making the night cost $95 that would have been $135. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have been happy with a bill that high; nothing was good enough to command that price. I liked the advice in one review; wait for a Travelzoo deal and use it. read more

Last time I was here the service was probably the poorest I've ever received , food quality was awful and overpriced. had to beg to have our orders taken flag down waiters just to get a drink .. waiting 30-40 mins for a new drink. When it came time to pay the bill no one was to be found and lastly the worst part of all ... the visible rodent problem as my partner and I saw several mice scurrying around the restaurant floor. Disgusting do not eat here no matter what read more

Empire can be quite expensive, but it is definitely worth going for the all-you-can-eat sushi for $29 every Monday evening. The interior is fancy and louge-y, with dim red lights and comfortable seating. The place itself is quite large, so there is plenty of room.The service is good as well. I would recommend this restaurant more so for special occasions than a casual meal (unless you are going for the AYCE sushi nights). We came here after a boat ride for my friend's bachelorette party, and the staff was very hospitable for the occasion and made sure we had a good time. read more

Used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Boston but no longer is. You can tell that the quality of food and menu change has gone down. Sooooo sad. They changed their menu to save money and you can tell. I ordered the kimchi fried rice and the quality of beef was awful. I also tried ordering the seared sliced ahi tuna crispy rice bites which they changed to a cold mayo based tuna and it was awful. The seared sliced ahi tuna crispy rice bites were the best thing on their menu and they no longer offer them. Such a disappointment. read more

I've walked by empire a bunch on my trips to the seaport and I actually like a lot. It's a huge, dressy lounge with trendy music, gorgeous people and exquisite looking Asian food. [For you Pittsburgh people: It's Cavo without the dancefloor - so PERFECT for me] My long island was actually pretty good, just a tad too sweet for me but appropriate for the mid-tens price point. Would love to come back to eat, the food look exquisite. The ambiance is perfect, the music is loud but lively. It's a perfect mood booster for a Friday or Saturday night. Very happy. Will come again. read more

This place is great (thats about it) nothing special and not as good as phantom gourmet makes it seem!! I prefer Red Lantern in Boston over Empire anyday of the week (Red Lantern has great drink specials). Empire's menu is drab and very expensive which is not always a good thing especially if the food isn't to die for!! The atmosphere in Empire is stuffy although the decor is amazing, to me..it was not what I expected and a HUGE let down! read more